Rebekah Hardy

Class of 2005Major/Minor: Majored in Anthropology with a minor in French

I valued the flexibility of the liberal arts model to craft the best combination of classes, clubs, experiential learning and personal connections that were right for me.

How has your liberal arts education influenced you? How do you apply your liberal arts education in your current career?

Because I hadn’t decided what my career path was going to be when I entered College, the liberal arts curriculum and small class sizes WC offered was ideal. I valued the flexibility of the liberal arts model to craft the best combination of classes, clubs, experiential learning, and personal connections that were right for me. The elements I was able to integrate into my degree provided a great foundation for me to learn effective communication strategies for a wide variety of people via various platforms. In my job at the College now, I feel I’ve been able to hone these skills to help alumni and donors understand the importance of their gifts and make meaningful philanthropic decisions.

Who was your favorite faculty member?

I’d be hard-pressed to rate one faculty member above another in terms of favorites because they were all so valuable to me in different ways… but when I reflect back on the classes I took, I really enjoyed the freshmen seminars that were totally outside my major but super interesting. For example, “Bunraku & Bowie: Kabuki & Kiss” - whose interest wouldn’t be piqued by that title?! This course gave me the opportunity to learn from a drama faculty member (a department way outside my comfort zone), read texts I wouldn’t typically choose, interact with students from other fields, and then construct projects and papers that helped me grow as an analytical thinker.

What is your favorite Washington College memory?

It’s the people - they were then and continue to be the very best part of the Washington College experience. The faculty who were there to patiently explain again how fractals are formed or to host a French-speaking forum over lunch or simply offer a friendly “hello Rebekah” when we pass on campus twelve years after the ONE time I had them for a class.